Separable fastener



y 1933- G. SUNDBACK 1,918,229

SEPARABLE FASTENER Filed Nov. 9, 1929 in rTi i IN V EN TOR. GL' cZe on Sw/dbQck A TTORNE PatentedJuly 11, 1933 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE GIDEON SUNDBACK, OF MEAIDVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HOOKLESS FASTENER COMPANY, OF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN SYLV'ANIA SEPARABLE FASTENER.

Application filed November 9, 1929, Serial No. 406,129, and in Canada February 27, 1929.

This invention relates to separable interlocking fasteners and particularly to a slide actuated fastener having opposed series of interlocking members which may be laced to the opposite edges of a closure.

This application is a continuation in part of Patent No. 1,850,160, dated March 22, 1933.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved separable fastener which is simple, economi al and reliable, having increased flexibility and holding power, which may be laced to an ordinary shoe or other article without deforming or otherwise altering such article, and may be quickly adjusted or entirely removed from such article without special knowledge or manipulation.

While separable interlocking fasteners have previously been devised that could be laced directly to various articles, and a number of patents issued on such constructions, difficulty has been encountered in practically applying them to present day conditions of use. he common reason for failure of many of such fasteners in shoes and similar articles is due to the fact that relative longitudinal displacement of the fastener elements caused by movements of the foot in walking affected the interlocking relation of the fastener elements so that the fastener often came apart. The present invention overcomes this difficulty.

One of the particular objects of this invention is to provide an improved stringer construction which shall be capable of substantial longitudinal expansion and contraction between interlocked pairs of fastener elements without affecting their interlocked relation.

A more specific object is to provide an improved cord construction for fastener stringers which shall be particularly adapted for very substantial longitudinal contraction and expansion.

The present invention provides a simple and efiicient interlocking fastener which may be laced directly to a shoe or other article of standard construction, and may be quickly adjusted or entirely removed therefrom as a unit. The fastener consists of opposed series of interlocking members mounted on flexible stringers which are capable of lengthwise expansion and contraction, thereby enabling the fastener to conform to the varying contour of the article on which it is on the line 2a 2a of Fig. 1;

F ig. 3 is a plan view showing one series of locking members of a modified form of fastener;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the separable bottom connection shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 5 and 6 show modifications of the cord construction.

In Fig. 1, the invention is shown applied to an ordinary shoe having flaps 5 and 6 and a tongue 7. The flaps 5 and 6 are provided with eyelets 8 disposed directly opposite one another in the usual manner.

The interlocking members 9 areof the same general type as those disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 8,340, filed February 11, 1925, each being provided on its longitudinal edge with a projection 10 and a recess 11. The ends of the members 9 are bent substantially parallel and provided with pairs of compressible clamping aws 12 which clamp the members on longitudinal stringers 13 which in the form illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 comprise twisted cords. These stringers may assume various forms some of which will be described hereinafter.

In order to fasten the stringer 13 to the edges of the closure, a plurality of U-shaped members 14 are provided with their ends 15 looped around the stringer 13 between the pairs of clamping jaws 12 of each locking member. The lace 16 is passed through each eyelet 8, around the U-shaped member 14, then back through the same eyelet, and thence to the next eyelet where the same lacing is repeated, and so on until the free ends of the lace 16 are fastened at the top of the flaps 5 and 6 by tying them in'a bow or in any other suitable manner as in an ordinary shoe.

' not bound in any way to'each other. 6 I have shown a stringer member 25 havin The slider 17 may be of any suitable type such as that disclosed in my Patent 1,661,1A4, dated February 28, 1928, and is actuated by means of a pivoted pull member 18 whereby the slider may be moved in either direction to engage and disengage the cooperating interlocking members.

In Figs. 1 and 4 the lower ends of the stringers 13 are shown anchored in a bottom stop 19 having clamping jaws 20 which grip the stringers, and an extension 21 provided with an elongated hole 22. The hole 22 engages the flat hook 23 which is secured to the tongue 7 midway between the flaps 5 and 6. The bottom stop 19 limits the downward movement of the slider 17 and prevents it from coming off the lower end of the fastener. By unlacing the lace 16 and disconnecting the bottom stop 19 from the hook 23 the fastener may be quickly removed from the shoe. Any suitable form of up er stop may be employed at the upper end 0 the fastener to prevent the slider from coming off when it reaches the uppermost limit of its travel. The construction, described above allows the fastener to be partially drawn un der the edges of the flaps 5 and 6 and permits these edges to be drawn closely together by tightening the lace 16.

In addition to being flexible transversely of the plane of the fastener and laterally in the plane of the fastener, the stringers 13 are capable of a substantial amount of expansion and contraction longitudinally, which permits the fastener to conform to the contour of the article on which it is used so that it will come and go, for example on the instep of a shoe, without wrinkling or buckling, and without impairing the security of engagement. The expansion and contraction of the cords between the fastener elements on each stringer is an important feature of the invention and the construction of this cord or like connecting member may be varied'to provide the desired expansibility and contractibility. In Fig. 5 the stringer member 24 is made up of a number of straight threads or cords loosely bunched together but In Fig.

threads braided together. While the inherent nature of a stringer of textile material is such as to permit expansibility and contractibility it will be observed that a cord made up of twisted threads will possess this quality only to a limited degree while a braided cord or one made by simply bunching the threads loosely together can be contracted to a much Y eliminated and the stringer 13 is fastened directly to the edge of the closure by the lace 16. The lace 16 passes alternately through the eyelets 8 and around the stringer 13 between the clamping jaws 12. The distance of the stringer 13 from the edge of the closure may be varied by adjusting the lace 16. This construction also illustrates the expansion and contraction of the fastener, the interlocking members 9 being shown in two positions in relation to their distance from one another. The space between the adjacent interlocking members may be varied by the loosening of the stringer 18 which allows it to contract and brings one member 9 closer to the other as shown in dotted lines, or by the stretching of the stringer 13 which draws one member away from the other, as shown in full lines.

The invention is also capable of various other modifications and adaptations not specifically referred to but included within the "cope of the appended claims.

1. A separable fastener comprising a pair of expansible and contractible cord stringers, a plurality of locking members securely clamped to said cord stringers each adapted to interlock with a locking member mounted substantially opposite thereto on the other of said stringers, and means for connecting said stringer at spaced intervals to the edges of a closure, each locking member having integral means so formed that when engaged no substantial relative longitudinal shifting movement will take place.

2. A separable fastener for connecting two edges of a closure comprising a pair of flexible stringers each having a series of spaced locking members mounted thereon, each lpcking member of one series being directly opposite a lOCkiIlg member on the other stringer and constituting therewith an interlocking pair, said stringers being composed of material whose inherent nature permits of substantial expansibility and contractibility longitudinally of the stringers so that the pairs of locking members can be displaced a substantial amount longitudinally of the stringers without affecting the interlocked relation, each locking member having means so formed that when engaged no substantial relative longitudinal shifting movement between the members of the nair will take place.

3. A separable fastener for connecting two closure and a series of spaced locking memedges of a closure comprising cord-like fastg ener str ngers of textile ,material,' means for connect ng said stringers to the edges of said being spaced a substantial amount relative to one another to permit of substantial relative displacement longitudinally of said members by expansion and contraction of the portions of said textile stringers between adjacent pairs of locking members.

4. A separable fastener comprising a pair of flexible stringers, a plurality of cooperating locking members each having spaced pairs of clamping jaws for securing same to said stringers, and additional members attached directly to said stringers in the spaces between said pairs of clamping jaws for connecting said stringers to the edges of a closure.

5. A separable fastener comprising a pair of flexible stringers, a plurality of cooperating locking members having spaced pairs of clamping jaws for securing same to said stringers, and a plurality of U-shaped connecting members each having its ends compressed upon a stringer in the space between said clamping jaws.

6. A separable fastener comprising a pair of flexible stringers, a plurality of cooperating locking members having spaced pairs of clamping jaws for securing them to said stringers, a plurality of U-shaped members having their ends connected to the stringers in the spaces between said clamping jaws, and a lace extending through said U-shaped members to connect them to the edges of a closure.

7. A separable fastener comprising a pair of adjacent bodies having eyelets therein, a pair of stringers, a plurality of cooperating lockin members having ispaoed pairs of clamping jaws for securing same to said stringers, a plurality of U-shaped members having their ends connected to the stringers in the spaces between said clamping jaws, and a lace passing through each of said eyelets and around said U-shaped members and then back through the same eyelet whereby said stringers may be drawn toward said bodies by tightening said lace.

8. A separable fastener for connecting two edges of a closure, comprising a pair of ex-. pansible cords, a plurality of cooperating locking members mounted substantially opposite one another on said cords, means for connecting said cords at intervals to the edges of said closure, a clamping member having jaws clamped to the lower ends of said cords, a hole in said clamping member, and a hook on said closure engaging the hole in said clamping member to secure the lower end of the fastener to said closure.

9. In combination a pair of adjacent bodies having eyelets therein, a fastener comprising a pair of flexible stringers, locking members secured to each of said stringers substantially opposite one another, each of said members having a projection and a recess on its longitudinal edge for engagement with a similar recess and projection on the opposite member of the other stringer means carried by each of said stringers at spaced points adjacent each of said locking members through which a lace may be passed, a lace passing alternately through each of said means and one of said eyelets on the edges of said bodies to be fastened.

10. In a separable fastener, a fastener stringer having a cord extending longitudinally of the stringer, said cord being composed of smaller cords loosely bunched together but not bound to each other, and locking members connected to said cords at spaced intervals whereby substantial variation in the length of said stringer is permitted by expansion and contraction of said stringers between the locking members.

11. A separable fastener comprising a' pair of fastener stringers, each stringer comprising a cord every portion of which is capable of substantial longitudinal contraction and expansion, a series of spaced locking members clamped securely to each of said cords, each locking member on one stringer being arranged directly opposite a locking member on the other stringer, and cooperating interlocking means on each pair of oppositely arranged locking members, each of said pairs of members being capable of substantial longitudinal displacement without af- .fecting the interlocked relation by expanplace.

GIDEON SUNDBACK. 

